I-5 N Capacity Enhancements

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is exploring options to accelerate the construction of 13.5 miles of carpool lanes on the I-5 from SR-14 to Parker Rd. in northern Los Angeles County.

Instead of waiting 30 years to finance and build the carpool lanes through the Santa Clarita area, Metro is proposing to finish the project by 2019 by having vehicles with one or two passengers pay a toll to use the new lanes. The tolls would raise the money needed to build the lanes immediately.

The new lanes would be managed so that speeds do not fall below 45 miles per hour. The lanes would also add capacity to the I-5 freeway through Santa Clarita, which is now the third-largest city in Los Angeles County and is expected to add more than 50,000 people by 2035 as documented in the City of Santa Clarita’s “One Vision One Valley” Plan. The new lanes should provide a much faster and smoother commute when combined with the truck-only lanes being built on either side of Newhall Pass.